The No. 8 Clemson Tigers rallied in the second half to escape with a victory over the Troy Trojans, 27-16.
There are plenty of takeaways from Saturday afternoon’s affair with Troy, but the Tigers still ended up leaving Death Valley with a win. A surgical comeback where Clemson scored 27 unanswered points is something to be proud of as a fanbase and shows the true resilience of this team under head coach Dabo Swinney.
The matchup was a unique situation for both teams, with significant external factors impacting this game from the start. Various lightning delays were called throughout the day, including before and during the game.
From holding calls on first down to Adam Randall fumbling on a fourth down in the red zone, Clemson, 1-1, struggled to get settled during the first half. Multiple penalty calls and botched plays held the Tigers back from creating any momentum.
On the other hand, as soon as the game started, the Trojans, 1-1, were prepared. On the opening drive, Troy was able to carve up the Clemson star-studded defense and score off a 44-yard touchdown pass from Goose Crowder to Tray Taylor. This play set the tone for the half.
Clemson was looking for a response to the Troy touchdown, but the offense struggled to get momentum. Clemson immediately went on a three-and-out drive, which was shortly followed by an extensive 90-minute lightning delay.
The Tigers returned to the field with Death Valley stadium at roughly 50% capacity. The lack of rowdiness from the fans seemed to translate directly onto the field.
Clemson found themselves trailing 16-0 after the weather delay. Various plays made it seem like Troy was going to shock the world. The fumble on fourth down from Randall got things moving for Troy. The Trojans ended up returning the fumble for 53 yards into Clemson territory.
A couple of series later, Clemson found itself deep in their own territory, desperate for points. Quarterback Cade Klubnik sensed the pressure and decided to force a pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage, eventually picked off and taken into the Trojans’ endzone.
At this point, it seemed like Clemson was falling apart and out of the game.
The Tigers were able to get on the board before the half ended with a short field goal in the red zone. Before the field goal, Tristan Smith’s first career touchdown unfortunately was overturned. His knee was ruled down once he had possession before he finagled his way into the endzone.
Clemson closed out the half with only 17 rushing yards and was not winning the battle in the trenches. Though it seemed like Clemson was panicking, the Tigers insisted they were in total control despite being down 13 points.
“Nobody felt panicked. We know who we are,” Klubnik said on the state of the locker room at halftime.
The Tigers came out in the second half and reminded fans exactly who they are. Randall opened up the half, putting the team on his back and breaking free on his first carry. He continued to dominate throughout the half, finishing the game with 112 yards on 21 carries.
Klubnik also came back ready to play. Slinging the ball over the top, the quarterback found Bryant Wesco Jr. multiple times downfield. Wesco finished the game with seven catches, 118 yards and two touchdowns, including an impressive 34-yard touchdown catch that broke the game open for Clemson.
Klubnik capped off an evening that started grim, with a 162.8 passer rating, fueled by an 18-of-24 completion rate, throwing 196 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, the Tigers came out firing, hauling in three interceptions throughout the second half. Safety Ronan Hanafin had an interception and a close call at a second. He’s had a great start to the season with an interception in both games.
“That’s why we moved him to defensive back, he just forgot how to catch,” head coach Swinney said jokingly during his postgame press conference.
One of the interceptions that helped fuel the comeback was a phenomenal catch from Ricardo Jones, who hauled in a loose ball that bounced off Ashton Hampton’s backside.
“Ashton has a soft tush, and we want to thank his mom and dad for that,” Swinney said. “The ball bounced right off his tush, and Ricardo got it.”
The defensive backs weren’t the only unit that had success. Wade Woodaz finished the game with 11 total tackles, with seven being solo tackles.
The defensive line did not have the performance Clemson fans would typically expect from them. They struggled tremendously during the first half, fighting to put pressure on the Troy quarterback. Despite the first half struggles, the line was able to bounce back in the second half and rattle Crowder, keeping him out of rhythm.
“Defensively, the biggest thing was really timely sacks,” Swinney said.
Clemson will be visiting a conference foe, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 2-0, next Saturday at noon.
